It’s hard to blame Bret Bielema for feeling good about himself these days. In the last few months, the outspoken Illinois coach has done battle with fellow coaches, be it on social media or, more famously, on the field with South Carolina coach Shane Beamer during a 21-17 win over the Gamecocks in the Citrus Bowl.
That win was Illinois’ 10th for the season, marking the program’s first 10-win feat since 2001 (10-2) under the leadership of Ron Turner.
Bielema’s confidence shouldn’t be mistaken as only a celebration of his 2024 team, though. It’s more about what he believes he can accomplish next. Bielema has every reason to believe the success Illinois experienced on the field last season will continue into this year, and possibly beyond.
Bielema may have had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek when debating Lane Kiffin on social media about their respective playoff cases, but it’s no secret he thinks the Illini can compete for a College Football Playoff spot in 2025.
It’s the kind of belief that causes college football fans around the country to raise an eyebrow, including Illini fans themselves. It is, after all, extremely out of character for the program.
For more than 70 years now, it’s been nearly impossible for Illinois to sustain success. The program claimed four national titles under Robert Zuppke from 1914 to 1927, and then another in 1951, but all of of them came before the program joined the Big Ten in 1953.
Since then, for every successful season, there have been three or four bad ones. There was a resurgence in the late 1980s under John Mackovic when the Illini went to four straight bowl games — the only time Illinois ever made three straight bowl games, let alone four — but Mackovic left for Texas in 1992. His replacement, Lou Tepper got the Illini to a fifth straight bowl in his first season, but couldn’t maintain it.
Bielema himself has had a taste of the program’s one step forward, two steps back trajectory. He took the helm ahead of the 2021 season following a failed project under Lovie Smith. The program Bielema inherited had been to two bowl games in nine seasons under three different coaches, and recruiting was a mess. Smith’s approach to recruiting alienated Illinois high school coaches, and one of Bielema’s primary objectives was to mend those fences.
But first, he had to win football games. After a 5-7 debut, the Illini broke through in 2022, starting the season 7-1 and reaching as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25. That team would lose four of its last five games, though it came close to knocking off eventual Big Ten champion Michigan on the road. While the vibes were high, the familiar story struck. After losing a lot of key players to the NFL (OK, so that part wasn’t as familiar), as well as defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to Purdue, the Illini took their usual step back in 2023, finishing 5-7 and missing out on a bowl.
So you can imagine why many Illini fans are understandably hesitant to get too excited as they wait to see if the rug will be pulled out from beneath them once more; however, there’s far more reason to be optimistic heading into the 2025 season.
First of all, the core of the team that won 10 games in 2024 is returning. ESPN’s Bill Connelly released his returning production rankings for all 134 FBS teams, and Illinois ranks third nationally behind two playoff teams in Clemson and Arizona State. While it won’t be easy to replace the production of top receiver Pat Bryant (54 receptions, 984 yards, 10 TD), it’s easier to do it when you have your quarterback and entire offensive line returning.
Then there’s recruiting. Those fences Bielema had to mend with Illinois high school coaches? Consider them mended. As I write this, Illinois’ 2026 recruiting class is ranked seventh nationally, per 247Sports. That’s right, seventh. Ahead of programs like Notre Dame, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, and conference foes Ohio State and Michigan. It isn’t likely to stay in the top 10, but there’s enough optimism around the program on the recruiting front to believe this could still be a top-25 class by the time the early signing period arrives in December.
While that’s not enough to launch the program into national title contender status, it’s important to note Illinois hasn’t had a high school recruiting class finish ranked in the top 25 since 2008 (No. 22). Illinois has had more classes finish outside the top 50 than inside the top 40 since. (The 2025 class was ranked No. 45.) The combination of success on the field and in the NFL Draft, coupled with rekindled relationships with local coaches, is paying major dividends for Bielema and his staff when it comes to acquiring the kind of talent needed to sustain success.
Then there’s Illinois’ 2025 schedule. In 2024, Indiana was a good football team. It was also a good football team that benefitted from a friendly schedule. While Illinois’ 2025 slate isn’t quite on the same level, it shapes up to be one of the easier schedules any team in the Big Ten will face.
While the nonconference slate has a road trip to Duke, in Big Ten play, the Illini will face only two teams who finished last season with winning records in the Big Ten: at Indiana and home against Ohio State. The rest of the schedule includes home games against USC, Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern. The road trips are to Purdue, Washington and Wisconsin.
It’s hard to blame Bielema for feeling confident as he prepares for his fifth season at Illinois. You would be, too.
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